LEARNING UNIT 6

Satiation

A decrease in the frequency of operant behavior. Presumed to be the result of continued reinforcement that has followed the behavior

UCR | UR

a natural / unlearned reaction to a given stimulus

Classical conditioning

a process by which we learn to associate stimuli and consequently learn to anticipate events

Learning

a relatively permanent change in an organism's behavior due to experience

John B. Watson

Founder of behaviorism; argued that in order for psychology to become a legitimate science, it must shift its concern away from internal mental processes and focus on outward behaviors that can be measured

Robert Rescorla

along w/ colleague Alan Wagner, developed mathematical formula that can be used to calculate the probability that an association would be learned based on the ability of a CS to predict occurrence of an US

García effect

an alternative but less common name for conditioned taste aversion.

vicarious reinforcement/punishment

observing someone else receive a reward or punishment

Operant conditioning

A process in which change of behavior (learning) occurs as a function of the consequences of behavior

Operant conditioning chamber

A.K.A Skinner Box - used to study animals such as rats and pigeons. Contains a lever or key that can be pressed to receive reinforcements such as food / water AND a mechanism that recorded all the behaviors of the animals + the schedules of reinforcement they were on

Taste aversion

An example of how classical conditioning can result in changes in behavior, even after only one incidence of feeling ill the avoidance of a certain food following a period of illness after its consumption

Edward Thorndike

His work for animals lead him to formulate the Law of Effect, which led to the development of operant conditioning

John Garcia

Researched taste aversion learning. Provided evidence for biological constraints to learning

Ivan Pavlov

Russian physiologist who observed conditioned salivary responses in dogs

Positive reinforcement

Something is added to increase the likelihood of a behavioral response

Negative reinforcement

Something is removed to increase the likelihood of a behavioral response

Stimulus discrimination (CC)

The ability to distinguish between similar stimuli and demonstrate the conditioned response only to the conditioned stimulus

Law of effect

Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely

Stimulus generalization

When an organism demonstrates the conditioned response to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus

CR

a learned response to a previously neutral stimulus

Primary reinforcer

a stimulus or circumstance, such as food or water, that is inherently satisfying and does not depend on learning to become desirable.

NS

a stimulus that does not naturally elicit a response

Little Albert Study

a white rat was paired with a loud sudden noise in order to condition a fear response in an infant.

antisocial behavior

actions that are deliberately hurtful or destructive to others

prosocial behavior

actions that are helpful and kind but w/o obvious benefit to actor

Higher-order conditioning

an established CS is paired w/ a new NS so that eventually this new NS also elicits the CR w/o the initial CS is presented

Shaping

an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior

emotion-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to our feelings related to one's stress reaction

problem-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor.

B.F. Skinner

behaviorist that developed the theory of operant conditioning by training pigeons and rats

overimitate

children copying actions of adults that are irrelevant to what they are doing

Martin Seligman

conducted experiments with dogs that led to the concept of "learned helplessness"

tyranny of choice

impairment of effective decision making when confronted with an overwhelming number of options

Instinct

innate unlearned pattern of behavior triggered by a broad range of event (i.e. maturation, change of seasons, etc.)

Associative learning

linking stimuli and/or events that occur together in the environment

stress

our body's response to event that that causes emotional, physical and/or psychological strain

Albert Bandura

pioneer in observational learning / social learning theory

mirror neurons

responds in the same way to a given action whether the we perform the action itself or sees another perform the action.

Reflexes

simple, automatic responses to sensory stimuli

stressor

social + physical environmental circumstances that challenge our adaptive capabilities and/or resources

Positive punishment

something is added to decrease the likelihood of a behavioral response

Negative punishment

something is removed to decrease the likelihood of a behavioral response

Secondary reinforcer

stimulus such as money that becomes reinforcing through its link with a primary reinforcer

UCS | US

stimulus that elicits a reflexive response in an organism

CS

stimulus that elicits a response after repeatedly being paired w/ an US

Bobo doll

study demonstrated that children are able to learn social behavior such as aggression through the process of observation learning

self-control

the ability to resist impulses and delay short-term gratification for greater long-term rewards

Extinction (CC)

the gradual decrease of a conditioned response when a US does not follow a CS

External locus of control

the perception that chance or outside forces determine your fate.

Internal locus of control

the perception that you can influence your own fate

Spontaneous recovery (CC)

the return of a previously extinguished conditioned response following a rest period

vicarious reinforcement

we become more likely to engage in a particular behavior (response) by observing another individual being rewarded for that same behavior

modelling

we observe the behavior of another and then imitate it

Acquisition (CC)

when an organism learns to connect or associate a NS w/ a US, and eventually the NS becomes the CS -eventually eliciting the CR by itself